A geochemical and sedimentary record of high southern latitude

Earth and Planetary Science Letters 302 (2011) 1–13
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Earth and Planetary Science Letters
j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s ev i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / e p s l
A geochemical and sedimentary record of high southern latitude Holocene climate
evolution from Lago Fagnano, Tierra del Fuego
Christopher M. Moy a,⁎,1, Robert B. Dunbar b, Thomas P. Guilderson c, Nicolas Waldmann d,
David A. Mucciarone b, Cristina Recasens e, Daniel Ariztegui e, James A. Austin Jr. f, Flavio S. Anselmetti g
a
Dept. of Geological and Environmental Sciences, 450 Serra Mall, Braun Hall (Bldg. 320), Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-2115, USA
Dept. of Environmental Earth System Science, 450 Serra Mall, Braun Hall (Bldg. 320), Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-2115, USA
Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, L-397, 7000 East Ave., Livermore, CA 94550, USA
d
Dept. of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Allegt 41, 5007 Bergen, Norway
e
Dept. of Geology and Paleontology, University of Geneva, 13, Rue des Maraîchers, CH-1205 Genève, Switzerland
f
Institute for Geophysics, John A. and Katherine G. Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Bldg. 196 (ROC), 10100 Burnet Road (R2200), Austin,
TX 78758-4445, USA
g
Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Surface Waters, Überlandstrasse 133, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
b
c
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history:
Received 14 May 2010
Received in revised form 3 November 2010
Accepted 7 November 2010
Available online 24 December 2010
Editor: P. DeMenocal
Keywords:
Southern Hemisphere westerly winds
Holocene paleoclimate
radiocarbon
stable isotopes
Tierra del Fuego
a b s t r a c t
Situated at the southern margin of the hemispheric westerly wind belt and immediately north of the Antarctic
Polar Frontal zone, Tierra del Fuego is well-positioned to monitor coupled changes in the ocean–atmosphere
system of the high southern latitudes. Here we describe a Holocene paleoclimate record from sediment cores
obtained from Lago Fagnano, a large lake in southern Tierra del Fuego at 55°S, to investigate past changes in climate
related to these two important features of the global climate system. We use an AMS radiocarbon chronology for
the last 8000 yr based on pollen concentrates, thereby avoiding contamination from bedrock-derived lignite. Our
chronology is consistent with a tephrochronologic age date for deposits from the middle Holocene Volcán Hudson
eruption. Combining bulk organic isotopic (δ13C and δ15N) and elemental (C and N) parameters with physical
sediment properties allows us to better understand sediment provenance and transport mechanisms and to
interpret Holocene climate and tectonic change during the last 8000 yr. Co-variability and long-term trends in C/N
ratio, carbon accumulation rate, and magnetic susceptibility reflect an overall Holocene increase in the delivery of
terrestrial organic and lithogenic material to the deep eastern basin. We attribute this variability to westerly windderived precipitation. Increased wind strength and precipitation in the late Holocene drives the Nothofagus forest
eastward and enhances run-off and terrigenous inputs to the lake. Superimposed on the long-term trend are a
series of abrupt 9 negative departures in C/N ratio, which constrain the presence of seismically-driven mass flow
events in the record. We identify an increase in bulk δ13C between 7000 and 5000 cal yr BP that we attribute to
enhanced aquatic productivity driven by warmer summer temperatures. The Lago Fagnano δ13C record shows
similarities with Holocene records of sea surface temperature from the mid-latitude Chilean continental shelf and
Antarctic air temperatures from the Taylor Dome ice core record in East Antarctica. Mid-Holocene warming
occurred simultaneously across the Antarctic Frontal Zone, and in particular, in locations currently influenced by
the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.
Published by Elsevier B.V.
1. Introduction
Southernmost South America is well-located to address questions
related to Holocene climate change in the mid- to high-latitudes of the
⁎ Corresponding author. Present affiliation: Geology Department, University of
Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
E-mail addresses: moyc@stanford.edu, chris.moy@otago.ac.nz (C.M. Moy),
dunbar@stanford.edu (R.B. Dunbar), tguilderson@llnl.gov (T.P. Guilderson),
Nicolas.Waldmann@geo.uib.no (N. Waldmann), dam@stanford.edu (D.A. Mucciarone),
Cristina.Recasens@unige.ch (C. Recasens), daniel.ariztegui@unige.ch (D. Ariztegui),
jamie@ig.utexas.edu (J.A. Austin), flavio.anselmetti@eawag.ch (F.S. Anselmetti).
1
Current contact information: U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and
Marine Science Center, 384 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA. Tel.: + 1
650 380 0395; fax: + 1 508 457 2310.
0012-821X/$ – see front matter. Published by Elsevier B.V.
doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2010.11.011
Southern Hemisphere. The island of Tierra del Fuego is located at the
southern margin of the modern westerly winds and 5° north of the
Antarctic Frontal Zone (AFZ). The strength of the westerlies at this
latitude drives the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), Ekman
divergence, and ultimately, the upwelling of CO2-rich deepwater that
can influence global CO2 flux variability over interannual (Le Quéré
et al., 2007; Lovenduski et al., 2007) to glacial–interglacial timescales
(Toggweiler et al., 2006). In addition to its impact on the global and
hemispheric meridional overturning circulation, the strength of the
overlying zonal atmospheric flow plays a significant role in regional
precipitation regimes (Garreaud, 2007; Garreaud et al., 2009; Moy
et al., 2009) and has been shown to be an important driver of Holocene
climate change in Patagonia at centennial- to millennial-timescales
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C.M. Moy et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 302 (2011) 1–13
(Moreno et al., 2009a; Moy et al., 2008). Farther to the south, the AFZ
represents a greater than 6 °C decrease in sea surface temperatures (SST)
that marks the boundary between the cold polar high latitudes and the
temperate mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere (Belkin and Gordon,
1996). Past northward migrations in the Polar Frontal Zone (PFZ) have
been invoked to explain colder temperatures and expansion of ice from
the Cordillera Darwin and Southern Patagonian ice sheets during the Last
Glacial Maximum and the Late Glacial (Kaplan et al., 2008; Moreno et al.,
2009b). Paleoclimate records from Tierra del Fuego provide a muchneeded terrestrial perspective on past changes in the ocean–atmosphere
system in the southern high latitudes.
Previous paleoclimate records used to reconstruct Holocene and
Late Glacial climate variability in Tierra del Fuego have used: (1)
stratigraphy and radiocarbon ages on glacial deposits (Clapperton
et al., 1995; Kaplan et al., 2007, 2008; Kuylenstierna et al., 1996;
McCulloch and Bentley, 1998; McCulloch et al., 2005; Mercer, 1982;
Strelin and Iturraspe, 2007), (2) paleoclimate and paleoecological
records recovered from lakes and bogs (Heusser and Rabassa, 1987;
1995; Heusser et al., 2000; Markgraf, 1993; Mauquoy et al., 2004;
Pendall et al., 2001; Waldmann et al., 2010a), (3) tree-ring
temperature reconstructions (Aravena et al., 2002; Boninsegna
et al., 1990) and (4) aeolian dust flux reconstructions from peat
deposits (Sapkota et al., 2007). Continuous well-dated Holocene
lacustrine sediment records are as yet notably missing from Tierra del
Fuego, yet they can fully exploit the location and its link to modern
climate and are not subject to the uncertainties of the marine
reservoir age correction that all Southern Ocean records must
surmount (Hodell et al., 2001; Nielsen et al., 2004; van Beek et al.,
2002). Sediment records from larger lakes are particularly relevant
because they integrate climate signals over a larger region, are less
susceptible than smaller lakes to non-climatic local effects, and can
offer homogenous depositional environments that aid proxy development. A prerequisite for any paleoclimate interpretation from
lacustrine sediment cores is knowledge of (1) overall basin architecture and stratigraphy, (2) sediment provenance and delivery
mechanisms/pathways, and (3) sediment lithologies. Furthermore,
the establishment of a reliable radiocarbon chronology requires
knowledge of the geologic context of organic material to be dated
(Björck and Wohlfarth, 2001; Olsson, 1991).
In 2005 and 2006, we undertook a high-resolution seismic survey
followed by sediment coring from presumed high-accumulation rate
sedimentary sequences within Lago Fagnano, a long (N100 km),
linear, E–W orientated oligotrophic lake with maximum water depths
exceeding 200 m (Fig. 1). The lake is situated along a major plate
boundary and occupies a deep continental pull-apart basin associated
with the Magellan-Fagnano Transform system (Lodolo et al., 2003)
that has been sculpted and over-deepened by successive Quaternary
glaciations. Lago Fagnano is an “open-system” lake with a single
spillway to the Pacific Ocean via the Río Azopardo and is fed by
numerous small streams and rivers. Descriptions of the principal subbasins, seismic stratigraphy, and general sediment core stratigraphy
were presented by Waldmann et al. (2008, 2010a,b).
Waldmann et al. (2010a) describe the physical and bulk chemical
properties of sediment cores collected from Lago Fagnano sub-basins
and use these parameters, in part, to infer westerly wind variability
during the Holocene. The authors focus on downcore variations in
solid phase Fe abundance obtained from a profiling XRF scanner to
infer changes in the influx of detrital magnetic minerals, which they
argue is indirectly controlled by regional precipitation (Waldmann
et al., 2010a). Higher precipitation causes greater influx of magnetic
minerals to the deep isolated sub-basins within the lake. A prominent
decline in Fe through the Holocene towards modern argues for a
reduction in westerly derived precipitation, an inference that is
opposite from existing records in the region (Huber et al., 2004,
Markgraf and Huber, 2010, Moreno et al., 2009a,b). Moreover,
magnetic susceptibility levels in all cores collected in the eastern
basin increase through the Holocene, signaling an overall increase in
the abundance of ferromagnetic minerals that might be associated
with enhanced runoff (increased westerlies). Fe abundance, however,
is difficult to interpret in lacustrine systems as its presence in
sediments can be controlled by diagenetic alteration and is further
complicated by dilution effects (Löwemark et al., in press), bulk
density, mineralogy and grain size changes (Croudace et al., 2006). In
order to better understand past variations in the precipitation regime,
and by extension, the westerly wind field from Lago Fagnano
sediments, we have developed a paleoclimate record using proxies
derived from our understanding of drainage basin processes.
In this paper, we present a Holocene record of climatically- and
tectonically-induced sedimentation from Lago Fagnano with foci on:
1) understanding changes in sediment provenance and delivery
mechanisms to the deep eastern basin, 2) establishing a testable/
verifiable radiocarbon chronology that can be used to constrain the
timing of past climate/tectonic events; and 3) contributing to our
understanding of climate variability in high southern latitudes. We
examine piston core and surface sediment samples obtained from the
N180-meter deep eastern sub-basin and apply a multi-proxy
approach combining bulk organic geochemistry (C and N), physical
sediment properties, and wt.% biogenic silica to characterize changes
in aquatic productivity, drainage basin erosion, and tectonicallyinduced mass-wasting events, and ultimately, better understand past
variations in climate in this important geographical locale. Bulk
organic isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) and concentrations are used to infer
past changes in aquatic productivity and sediment provenance as has
been accomplished in other large lake systems in South America
including Lago Titicaca (Rowe et al., 2003), Lago Puyehue (Bertrand
et al., 2009), Laguna Potrok Aike (Haberzettl et al., 2007), and Laguna
Azul (Mayr et al., 2005). We also combine our bulk organic
geochemistry measurements with a pollen AMS radiocarbon chronology to characterize Holocene changes in climate. The paleoclimate
interpretations, and to a greater extent, the radiocarbon chronology,
presented in this paper supersede previous work from the lake and
provide a more comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of
Holocene climate change in Tierra del Fuego.
2. Study area
Lago Fagnano (Fig. 1) extends for ~100 km E/W along the southern
margin of Tierra del Fuego parallel to but north of the Beagle Channel
(54°S, 68°W, 26 m above sea level). The lake occupies a deep basin
within the left-lateral Magellan-Fagnano Transform fault system, an
active tectonic boundary separating the Scotia and South American
plates with estimated horizontal slip rates of 6.6 ± 1.3 mm/yr (Lodolo
et al., 2003; Smalley et al., 2003). The fault system extends across the
island of Tierra del Fuego through Lago Fagnano and bends across the
Strait of Magellan along its northwest arm (Lodolo et al., 2003). Traces
of the transform fault on land are manifest as sag ponds, fault scarps,
linear truncation of drainage patterns, and deformation and extension
of late Quaternary glacial sediments to the east of the lake (Menichetti
et al., 2008). Today, relatively low levels of seismicity (Richter
magnitude b 3.5) are recorded along the fault system, but large
earthquakes have been recorded in the past, most notably the
destructive 1949 earthquake (7.5 Richter magnitude), which triggered landslides within the watershed and displaced the Río Turbio to
the east of the lake (Menichetti et al., 2008). The lake is bounded by a
set of low elevation (b1500 m) mountain ranges – the Sierra de
Beauvoir and Sierra Las Pinturas to the north and the Sierra Alvear to
the south – that taper eastwards in elevation and represent an eastern
extension of the higher and still glaciated Cordillera Darwin (Fig. 1).
Small alpine glaciers occupy cirques at elevations greater than 1000 m
in the Cordillera Darwin and a few of these small glaciers discharge
minor amounts of meltwater to the westernmost part of the lake
(Fig. 1b). The NE section of the lake exposes folded lower Paleogene
C.M. Moy et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 302 (2011) 1–13
3
Fig. 1. Regional study area map illustrating location of Lago Fagnano and sites discussed in text. a) Map of southern South America showing the location of Volcán Hudson (triangle) and the
location of the Heusser (1999) and McCulloch et al. (2005) site locations (numbered #1 and #2, respectively). Star denotes the location of Lago Fagnano. b) Satellite image of Lago Fagnano
and surrounding drainage basin. Numbered stars denote the location of the PC-18 (1) and LF01 (2) sediment cores obtained in the eastern basin. The circle denotes the location of the Lago
Fagnano meteorological station and the white box highlights the area enlarged in Figure 2a. Landsat image source: NASA World Wind (http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov).
Río Claro Group marine foreland basin deposits consisting of conglomerates, sandstones, siltstones and coal-bearing mudstones, while outcrops to the south and west of the lake expose Cretaceous marine slope
metasediments (Beauvoir Formation) and upper Jurassic metamorphosed
volcanic and sedimentary sequences (Lemaire Formation) (Olivero and
Malumián, 2008). Poorly consolidated late Quaternary glacial diamict,
glaciolacustrine, and glaciofluvial deposits are common along the
northern and southern shores of the lake (Bujalesky et al., 1997).
Lago Fagnano can be divided into two sedimentary basins referred
to as the western and eastern sub-basins (Fig. 2a). Waldmann et al.
(2008, 2010a,b) describe the sequence stratigraphy of the sediments
filling these two sub-basins using seismic data acquired from highresolution single channel (3.5 kHz “pinger”) and multichannel (1 in3
airgun) geophysical methods. By combining these two techniques, the
authors characterize the Lago Fagnano basin architecture as consisting
of a complex bedrock morphology overlain by N100 m of glacial and
lacustrine infill. The sedimentary sequence in the eastern basin has
been subdivided into three units (from bottom to top): (1) Unit EA, a
thick, transparent, and chaotic basal unit interpreted as glaciallyderived sediments, (2) Unit EB, comprising transparent subunits
separated by almost equally spaced continuous medium- to highamplitude reflections representing sequences of glacio-lacustrine
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C.M. Moy et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 302 (2011) 1–13
Fig. 2. Lago Fagnano bathymetry and seismic stratigraphy showing sediment core and grab sample locations discussed in text. a) Lago Fagnano bathymetric map and seismic track
lines for the western (W) and eastern sub-basins (E). b) Eastern sub-basin bathymetry piston and gravity core locations (stars) and the N–S and E–W grab sample transects (circles).
In this paper, we focus on the PC-18 sediment record obtained from 185 m water depth and close to E–W seismic line #17 (labeled 2C). c) High resolution 3.6 kHz single-channel
“pinger” seismic line #17 showing a longitudinal image of the eastern sub-basin (the closest and most representative line for core PC-18) and the transposed location of PC-18. The
PC-18 record exposes the upper portion of the EC seismic stratigraphic unit, which is characterized by thinly spaced, high-amplitude internal reflections with low-amplitude to
transparent intervals. The EC unit has been interpreted to reflect pelagic/lacustrine conditions interbedded with downslope mass-flow events (Waldmann et al., 2010a). The
geochemical record presented here focuses on the uppermost 230 cm of this sequence.
sediments, overlain by (3) Unit EC, consisting of intercalated thinly
spaced, high-amplitude internal reflections with low-amplitude to
transparent intervals reflecting pelagic/lacustrine conditions interbedded with downslope mass-flow events (Waldmann et al., 2010a).
We targeted the deeper eastern sub-basin for development of a
paleoclimate record (Fig. 2b) because it contains the thickest
apparently undisturbed sequence of Unit EC in Lago Fagnano
(Fig. 2c). Sediment cores PC-18 (presented here) and PC-16
(Waldmann et al., 2010a) collected in 185 m water depth penetrate
Unit EC and consist of pelagic lacustrine silts and clays intercalated
with thin (b15 cm thick) downslope mass-flow (turbidite) deposits.
The modern climate of Lago Fagnano can be characterized as semi-arid
and cold with mean annual precipitation and temperature of 550 mm and
6 °C, respectively. In February 2004, we established a tripod-mounted,
automated weather station at the Argentine Prefectura station on the
southern shore of Lago Fagnano (Fig. 1b). With the exception of two minor
service interruptions (b2 months), the station continuously recorded
hourly temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed
and direction, and precipitation measurements. From this data set, we
have compiled monthly climatologies of wind direction (Supplemental
Fig. 1a), temperature, wind speed and precipitation (Supplemental
Fig. 1b). The average annual air temperature at the lake is 5.8 °C, with
summer and winter temperatures averaging 9 °C and 1 °C, respectively.
Lakeshore wind velocities are highest during the austral summer
(January–March) and lowest during the winter months (June–July),
when the core of the mid-latitude jet is situated farther to the north.
Precipitation generally follows the annual cycle in wind speed, with
maximum rainfall recorded during the summer months. Precipitation
amounts measured at the Lago Fagnano station are generally less than in
Ushuaia (the closest permanent weather station) except in November,
likely reflecting a small rain shadow effect from the surrounding Sierra de
Alvear. A wind rose diagram calculated from the station data shows a
bimodal distribution in relative wind direction frequency: recorded winds
are mostly out of the southwest, but stronger northwesterly winds are
also common (Supplemental Fig. 1a).
3. Materials and methods
Sediment cores were collected during field campaigns in 2005 and
2006 using a Kullenberg-type piston coring system on the 11-m long
vessel R/V Neecho. Coring locations in the eastern sub-basin were
selected based on the seismic stratigraphy and are mostly free of
mass flow and large-scale (eroding) turbidite deposits. The piston
core PC-18 and gravity core LF-01 described here were collected in
185 m of water and have total lengths of 527 and 215 cm,
respectively. Although PC-18 appears to contain the sediment–
water interface, additional short gravity cores (b2.5 m) were
recovered and a series of sediment “grab” samples were collected
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C.M. Moy et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 302 (2011) 1–13
pool, rather than the lacustrine dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) pool
(as is the case for lacustrine macrophytes), which can have contributions of old DIC from groundwater/bedrock sources (e.g. Chondrogianni
et al., 2004). We found that a method developed by Vandergoes and
Prior (2003), which combines a modified method of pollen extraction
from lake sediments (e.g., Faegri and Iversen, 1989, but excluding the
use of C-containing acids/solvents) with stepwise liquid density
separation, works best for our samples. A total of 15 g of wet sediment
obtained from 1.0 to 1.5 cm thick sections of core was digested using
10% HCL, 50% HF, 10% HNO3, and 10% KOH. The remaining material was
sieved at 125 μm and then passed through a series of heavy liquid
density separations using sodium metatungstate. After an initial pass
using a solution with a specific gravity of 2.1 to separate dense inorganic
material from pollen, successive separation cycles were carried out,
starting with specific gravity of 1.8 and decreasing to 1.1 at an interval of
0.1. Individual specific density separates were obtained from 1.6 to 1.1
and those with the highest pollen yield that were free of black
particulates (presumably dead C contaminants), as identified after
inspection under a binocular microscope, were selected for dating. The
selected pollen concentrates were acidified with 1 N HCl to remove any
absorbed atmospheric CO2 before multiple DI rinses, combustion,
conversion to graphite, and analysis at the Center for Accelerator Mass
Spectrometry (CAMS) at Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Radiocarbon
dates were converted to calendar years BP (cal yr BP) using Calib 6.0
(Stuiver and Reimer, 1993) using the Southern Hemisphere
calibration curve (McCormac et al., 2004). We established an age
model for the PC-18 sediment core by applying a linear regression
through the median probability ages derived from Calib 6.0 (Table 1).
with a modified Ekman dredge from a variety of depths and distances
from fluvial inputs to the lake (Fig. 2b). In addition to sediment
samples, Nothofagus pumilio and N. antarctica leaves, litter, and
underlying surficial soil horizons were sampled from locations within
the Fagnano watershed in order to constrain the isotopic signatures of
organic matter entering the lake.
Physical sediment properties, including bulk density, magnetic
susceptibility, and P-wave velocity, were measured on the PC-18 and
LF01 sediment cores at 1-cm resolution using a Geotek Multi-Sensor Core
Logger at ETH (Zurich, Switzerland) and at the USGS Coastal and Marine
Geology facility (Menlo Park, CA), respectively. Sediment cores were split,
described and immediately photographed in order to preserve fine mmscale laminae that quickly fade upon exposure to the atmosphere.
We obtained continuous 3 ml samples at 1 cm resolution for bulk
organic C and N isotope and concentration analysis (C and N). Samples
were oven dried at 40 °C, weighed into tin capsules, and analyzed on a
Carlo Erba NA1500 Series 2 elemental analyzer coupled to a Finnigan
Delta Plus isotope ratio mass spectrometer via a Finnigan Conflo II open
split interface at the Stanford University Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry
Laboratory (SIBL). Results are presented in standard delta notation with
δ13C reported relative to the VPDB carbonate standard and δ15N relative
to air. The average standard deviation of replicate samples was 0.06‰
for δ13C, 0.32‰ for δ15N, and 0.01% for C and N concentrations (n= 23).
Biogenic silica (wt.% BSi) was measured at 3 cm resolution by
spectrophotometry after NaOH leaching and extraction after 2, 3 and
4 h using a method modified from DeMaster (1981) and Mortlock and
Froelich (1989). The average standard deviation of replicate samples
using this method was 0.11% (n= 7).
A total of 12 horizons were selected for radiocarbon dating in the
LF01 and PC-18 sediment cores (Table 1). AMS radiocarbon ages were
obtained on a variety of materials, including bulk organic sediment,
terrestrial macrofossils and pollen concentrates. Because coal (lignite)
has been identified as a contaminant in paleoclimate studies across
Tierra del Fuego (Heusser, 1999; McCulloch et al., 2005) and is present
in sedimentary rocks within the Lago Fagnano drainage basin (Olivero
and Malumián, 2008), we focus our radiocarbon dating scheme on
pollen concentrates. AMS dating of pollen extracts is a reliable method
for obtaining accurate radiocarbon ages and surmounting contamination difficulties introduced by older or radiocarbon-“dead” material
(Brown et al., 1989; Mensing and Southon, 1999; Piotrowska et al.,
2004; Vandergoes and Prior, 2003). Moreover, pollen is considered a
reliable material to date in lacustrine settings because trees and pollen
are typically in isotopic equilibrium with the atmospheric radiocarbon
4. Results
4.1. Sediment core stratigraphy
Piston core PC-18 and gravity core LF01 recovered the uppermost
section of Unit EC in the deep eastern sub-basin (Fig. 2). The uppermost
230 cm in PC-18 and the entire LF01 core consist of brown silty clay,
with dark 0.5–2 mm laminae that oxidize and fade rapidly
after exposure. The laminated interval is truncated by a series of nine
1–15 cm thick light-colored sedimentary units that consist of graded
and fining upwards silt and sand. A complex change in sedimentology
occurs at mid-depth (~230 cm) in the PC-18 sediment core. A 7 cm thick
coarse graded sand unit unconformably overlies a 10 cm thick
laminated interval, a 3 cm thick tephra, and ~300 cm of deformed and
Table 1
Summary of radiocarbon dates obtained from Lago Fagnano bulk sediments, pollen concentrates and terrestrial macrofossils.
#
CAMS #
Sample ID
Core
Core
depth
(cm)
PC-18 composite
depth
(cm)
Modified depth —
turbidites removed
(cm)
Material
Age
Error
Median
probability age
(cal yr BP)
2σ
lower
2σ
upper
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
115796
115797
115798
115799
115800
118297
118298
118366
118364
118365
118366
118367
128995
128996
–
LF01_0
LF01_57.5
LF01_92.5
LF01_154.5
LF01_227.5
LF01 22
LF01 65
LF01_65_1.3
LF01_91
LF01_153
LF01_227.5_1.4
LF01_153_wood
LF06_sect4_10
LFO6_sect4_61.5
V. Hudson (H1)
eruptiona
LF01
LF01
LF01
LF01
LF01
LF01
LF01
LF01
LF01
LF01
LF01
LF01
PC-18
PC-18
PC-18
0
57.5
92.5
154.5
227.5
22
65
65
91
153
227
153
10
61.5
–
0
45
74
112
157
25
52
52
73
111
158
111
10
61.5
240
0
27
51
85
130
11
34
34
50
84
129
84
–
–
170
Bulk organic
Bulk organic
Bulk organic
Bulk organic
Bulk organic
Pollen — 1.6 g/cm3
Pollen — 1.6 g/cm3
Pollen — 1.3 g/cm3
Pollen — 1.6 g/cm3
Pollen — 1.6 g/cm3
Pollen — 1.6 g/cm3
Terrestrial macro
Terrestrial macro
Terrestrial macro
Mean pooled age
6150
5720
6740
9235
11125
1015
1920
1680
2565
4495
5335
3410
505
2610
6850
30
35
35
35
35
35
30
70
35
50
50
50
35
35
160
6960
6450
7550
10340
13030
860
1800
1520
2590
5060
6070
3590
510
2630
7660
160
130
80
100
90
70
90
150
130
190
140
140
20
140
240
190
110
70
150
80
90
80
180
160
230
130
130
30
130
300
a
From Stern (2008).
6
C.M. Moy et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 302 (2011) 1–13
mottled inorganic silts that extend to the base of the PC-18 core (Fig. 3).
The 7 cm thick sand unit with a scoured erosive base overlies the
mobilized and deformed sediments (including the reworked tephra)
and effectively divides the PC-18 core into a lower chaotic (disturbed)
section, representing a mass wasting deposit, and an upper relatively
undisturbed and laminated section (Fig. 3). The intermediate graded
sand likely represents a turbidite that typically follows large-scale
downslope sediment mobilization and overlies the mass flow deposit
(Schnellmann et al., 2005). We focus our geochemical measurements on
the upper undisturbed section (0–230 cm) of the PC-18 core.
4.2. Bulk density
Bulk sediment density in the upper 230 cm of the PC-18 piston
core averages 1.5 g/cm3 and exhibits a small (b0.2 g/cm3) negative
trend towards the top of the core. Superimposed on the trend are nine
abrupt positive increases in bulk density that correspond to the lightcolored and graded silty-sandy sedimentary units described earlier
(Supplemental Fig. 2). Positive excursions in the PC-18 density profile
are also correlative with density peaks in the LF01 and PC-16
sediment cores (Waldmann et al., 2010a) obtained within 2 km of
the PC-18 core in the eastern basin (Fig. 2 and Supplemental Fig. 2)
reflecting the basinwide and complete nature of the recovered
lithologic succession.
4.3. Bulk organic geochemistry and biogenic silica
Bulk organic geochemistry and wt.% BSi results are presented in
Figure 4. Carbon and nitrogen concentrations increase monotonically
from the base of the undisturbed section at 230 cm to the top of the
core. C/N generally follows this positive long-term trend in elemental
concentration, but displays a series of 9 abrupt departures and a single
large excursion at the top of the core (Fig. 4). There is a systematic
pattern associated with these 9 negative departures in C/N ratio. C/N
ratio abruptly rises, quickly falls, and then re-attains its original
values. The bulk organic δ13C profile exhibits a total range of b2‰
throughout the PC-18 sediment core (Fig. 4). The base of the core has
relatively low values (mean of −25.8‰) overlain by a section that
averages − 25.2‰ at 150 cm. Bulk organic δ13C gradually decreases
from 150 cm to the lowest values in the record at the core top
(−26.6‰). Abrupt 0.25–0.5‰ decreases in δ13C correspond with the
initial rise and rapid decline in C/N values in the core. Sedimentary
δ15N displays 2–3‰ variability at the base of the core followed by low
frequency variations with maximum values at 130 and 25 cm with
intervening low values at 175 and 75 cm. wt.% BSi averages 3.5%
throughout PC-18; abrupt 2% declines are correlative with reductions
in C/N and carbon and nitrogen concentrations.
4.4. Radiocarbon chronology
We present two age-depth models for the PC-18 core in Figure 5 and
summarize the results in Table 1. The bulk organic C, pollen concentrate,
and terrestrial macrofossil radiocarbon dates obtained on the LF01 core
were composited with dates from PC-18 using the bulk density profiles
(Supplemental Fig. 2) for core-to-core correlation. Bulk sedimentary
radiocarbon dates obtained from the sediment–water interface and 4
lower horizons exhibit significantly older ages (N5000 yr) than
corresponding pollen concentrate ages taken from similar depths
(Fig. 5). With the exception of the 6500 cal yr sediment–water interface
date, the remaining bulk dates are in stratigraphic order and exhibit a
5000 to 7000 cal yr offset from corresponding pollen dates. In two out of
three cases, the terrestrial macrofossil dates are older than dates obtained
on nearby pollen concentrates — the exception is the macrofossil date at
153 cm (see later). Reproducibility of pollen dates precipitated from
Fig. 3. Lago Fagnano PC-18 piston core composite linescan image. The upper core image (0–130 cm) highlights the core-top, a representative laminated interval, and turbidite #3
(note white inorganic clay unit that caps this deposit). The lower core image highlights the erosive transition from the upper undisturbed section (top 230 cm) to the disturbed
section below. Note the presence of a 7 cm-thick sandy turbidite at the base of the undisturbed section, multiple erosive boundaries, graded sequences, deformation structures, and
the location of the V. Hudson (H1) tephra.
7
C.M. Moy et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 302 (2011) 1–13
Wt. % C
0
0
0.4
0.8
1.2
1.6
2
6
8
10
12
δ15N (AIR)
14 -26.8 -26.4 -26 -25.6 -25.2 -24.8 0
2
4
Wt. %BSi
6 0
2
4
1
Wt. % C
Wt. % N
3
1520 +/- 180
1800 +/- 90
2590 +/- 160
C/N
MS
4
100
6
860 +/- 90
2
50
Core Depth (cm)
δ13C (VPDB)
C/N (atomic)
5
6
150
6070 +/- 140
7
8
200
Volcan Hudson Tephra H1 Tephra
>30
9
7660 +/- 160
250
0
0.04 0.08 0.12 0.16
Wt. % N
0.2
5
10
15
20
Magnetic Susceptibility (SI units)
Fig. 4. Compilation of Lago Fagnano bulk organic proxies. Numbers 1–9 and horizontal shading highlight interpreted turbidites in the record (as determined by visual inspection, e.g. Fig. 3), which
are characterized by abrupt drops in C and N concentrations, C/N, and δ13C. Triangles refer to pollen concentrate radiocarbon dates used in our age model and the dark heavy horizontal line shows
the location of the H1 tephra within the disturbed (hatched) interval. Our paleoclimate interpretation is restricted to the upper 230 cm of the sediment core stratigraphy.
specific gravities of 1.3 and 1.6 at 65 cm is b300 cal yr BP and provides a
minimum error estimate for our chronology.
5. Discussion
5.1. Radiocarbon contamination and the construction of a reliable age
model
Three factors complicate the construction of a reliable radiocarbon
chronology in Lago Fagnano sediments: (1) low concentrations of
suitable/relevant organic material in cored sediments, (2) potential
contamination by old or “dead” carbon sources within the watershed,
and (3) remobilization and deposition of older lacustrine or glacial
sediments. Obtaining a continuous sedimentary sequence with
minimal turbidite disturbance in Lago Fagnano requires core recovery
from the center of the deep eastern sub-basin, which by virtue of its
a)
b) PC-18 Composite Core Depth - Turbidites Removed (cm)
PC-18 Core Depth (cm)
0
40
80
120
0
distance from shore, contains very few terrestrial macrofossils. In fact,
the limited terrestrial macrofossils (principally wood fragments) that
are present in the PC-18, LF01, and PC-16 sediment cores are
associated with turbidites and presumably were transported downslope from littoral or other areas of the lake during mass flow events
(Waldmann et al., 2010b). In addition to the questionable context of
terrestrial macrofossils, the Fagnano watershed contains multiple old
or “dead” carbon sources that can contaminate bulk organic material.
Principal contamination sources include the poorly consolidated late
Pleistocene glacial material exposed along the shoreline and the coalbearing Paleogene mudstones that outcrop immediately to the north
of the deep eastern basin. Finally, reworking associated with seismicallydriven sediment gravity flow events may involve the erosion of older
lacustrine material from shallower areas of the lake and redeposition
within the center of the deep basin. Despite these difficulties, by
combining radiocarbon dates on concentrated pollen extracts with our
160
200
0
40
80
120
160
200
0
2000
2000
Age (cal yr BP)
Turbidite
4000
4000
6000
6000
8000
8000
1000
1200
Pollen Concentrate
Bulk Organic
Terrestrial Macro
H1 Tephra
10000
12000
Fig. 5. Radiocarbon chronology for the Lago Fagnano PC-18 sediment core. a) Age-depth (unmodified) profile for the PC-18 core showing dates obtained on pollen concentrates
(circles), bulk sediment (diamonds), and terrestrial macrofossils (triangles). Pollen concentrates are younger than corresponding bulk sediment dates and exhibit a linear downcore
distribution without any age reversals. b) Age-depth profile for the modified stratigraphy (interpreted turbidites removed) showing linear regression through pollen concentrates
used as an age model for the PC-18 core. Although there is uncertainty in the placement or true depth of the H1 tephra in our cores due to its presence within the turbidite, our age
model approximates the published age of the tephra within 400 yr and provides another estimate of the accuracy of our chronology.
8
C.M. Moy et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 302 (2011) 1–13
knowledge of sediment provenance from bulk organic chemistry and
physical sediment properties, we can surmount these obstacles and
construct a reliable sediment core chronology.
Our first attempt at establishing a radiocarbon chronology for the
eastern sub-basin has consisted of analyzing bulk organic sediment
from five horizons including the sediment–water interface from the
LF01 core (Fig. 5 and Table 1). Radiocarbon dates obtained on the bulk
acid- and base-insoluble residue have revealed a core-top age 6150
14
C yr BP, an age reversal between the core top and the date below at
45 cm, followed by successively older dates down to 157 cm. Based on
the high-resolution seismic data and knowledge of the timing of
sediment deposition with respect to know glacial events in the region
(Kaplan et al., 2008; McCulloch et al., 2005), the ages obtained from
bulk sedimentary dates are too old and must be non-representative of
the actual timing of sediment deposition. Radiocarbon dates
obtained on the pollen concentrates, however, produce a radiocarbon
stratigraphy with no reversals, a linear sedimentation rate, and a basal
date of ~ 6000 cal yr BP (Fig. 5). Although we elected not to date the
sediment–water interface, as it immediately overlies an interpreted
turbidite deposit and therefore might be altered (see later), there are
four paired pollen concentrate and bulk dates that exhibit offsets
between 5000 and 7500 cal yr BP. Two dates obtained from the
same depth horizon, but precipitated from the heavy liquid at 1.3 and
1.6 g/cm3, are 10 yr outside the 2σ radiocarbon calibration range
(within 300 14C yr). This age discrepancy may reflect heterogeneity in
the 1.5 cm thick (15 g wet sediment) sample. The terrestrial
macrofossil radiocarbon dates are generally older than proximal
pollen dates, with the exception of radiocarbon dates obtained at
153 cm, which appear to be derived from a turbidite interval and are
excluded from our age model (Fig. 5). The older pollen concentrate
date (relative to the macrofossil radiocarbon age) at 153 cm may
signal minor reworking of pollen and/or heterogeneity within the
turbidite deposit.
We developed an age model for the PC-18 core by first removing
the nine turbidite units using the density and organic geochemistry
stratigraphy (see later) and placing a linear regression through the
median probability calibrated pollen dates (Fig. 5b). To some extent,
we can test the accuracy of our age models by comparing the
published age of the Holocene Volcán Hudson (H1) tephra with the
constructed age model. The H1 tephra is present in both the PC-18 and
PC-16 sediment cores and has been geochemically identified by
Waldmann et al. (2010a). The mean pooled age obtained from the 10
most representative ages for this explosive eruption (see Fig. 1 for
location in central Patagonia) is 6850 ± 160 14C, which yields a 2σ
calibrated age range of 7420–7960 cal yr BP and a median calibrated
age of 7660 (Stern, 2008). Although it is tempting to use the age of the
tephra to rigorously test our age model, the location of the ash layer
within the turbidite precludes an exact age/depth assignment for the
PC-18 core (see Fig. 3). In this case, the mean pooled age for the H1
essentially represents a maximum limiting age and our pollen
concentrate chronology is in agreement with this (i.e. it is older
than our pollen ages; see Fig. 5). Overall, given the 300 yr
reproducibility of pollen concentrate ages, we take a conservative
approach and estimate that the chronology presented here is accurate
to 500 yr during the Holocene.
Dead carbon derived from coal deposits in the lower Paleogene
sedimentary exposures directly north of the eastern sub-basin (Fig. 1) is
the likely cause of the radiocarbon contamination in Lago Fagnano
sediments. In Puerto del Hambre (230 km NW) Heusser (1999) reported
contamination by “infinitely old” carbon reworked by glacial scouring of
Tertiary sedimentary deposits during the Late Glacial. In addition,
McCulloch et al. (2005) have identified age offsets N10,000 14C yr
between untreated (bulk) samples and N120 μm hand-picked macrofossil
age determinations from sites along the Bahía Inútil coastline on the
eastern side of the Straits of Magellan (Fig. 1). Similar to what we identify
in Lago Fagnano sediments, Heusser (1999) described the contaminant as,
“black, amorphous, noncrystalline, microscopic particulate without
cellular differentiation.” The Vandergoes and Prior (2003) method used
here has effectively eliminated these black particles from our samples and
has therefore allowed us to construct a working AMS radiocarbon
chronology for Lago Fagnano. The results from these two studies, as well as
our own, indicate that contamination by radiocarbon “dead” carbon
derived from Tertiary sedimentary exposures is prevalent across Tierra del
Fuego and should be kept in mind when new regional radiocarbon
chronologies are developed. Based on the radiocarbon evidence presented
here, our previous age models from Lago Fagnano that incorporate bulk or
basal turbidite organic matter should be considered suspect. The age
model presented here reflects the most up-to-date chronology for the
Lago Fagnano eastern sub-basin and should be the chronology utilized in
future work.
5.2. Lago Fagnano sediment provenance
Bulk organic C and N isotopic ratios and concentrations can be
used to understand sediment provenance, as well as transport and
delivery mechanisms, within the Lago Fagnano watershed. C/N ratios,
for example, are commonly used to differentiate between algal and
terrestrial sources of organic matter in lacustrine sediments (Meyers
and Teranes, 2001). Terrestrial organic matter derived from vascular
land plants with relatively high cellulose concentration and low
protein abundance typically have C/N ratios N 20 (Meyers, 2003).
Conversely, lacustrine algae typically have C/N values b 10 due to
higher protein concentrations relative to land plants. Because
lacustrine organic matter is typically a mixture of terrestrial and
aquatic organic matter, C/N ratios can be used to identify the relative
contributions of these two end-members to the sediment (Meyers
and Teranes, 2001). Figure 6 displays the bulk density, C/N ratio, and
bulk δ13C depth profiles for PC-18. With the exception of the large
peak between 3 and 15 cm, C/N ratios are b10 throughout the record,
indicating a predominantly algal source for the sedimentary organic
matter. C/N ratios can also be combined with bulk density and δ13C to
highlight the turbidite deposits in the record (Fig. 6). In Fagnano
sediment cores, turbidites 2–8 are characterized by an initial increase
in C/N ratio followed by a rapid drop and subsequent rise to preturbidite values (Fig. 6). Synchronous decreases in δ13C that begin
with the initial rise in C/N and abrupt increases in bulk density clearly
characterize these units and offer the potential to remove them from
the sedimentary record (see later). The initial rise in C/N ratio and
decline in δ13C values probably reflect delivery of organic matter from
littoral regions of the lake, while the low C/N values result from the
fine-grained inorganic clays that cap the top of the turbidite unit
(Fig. 4). All terrestrial macrofossils found in the cores were obtained
from the bases of these units, while the low C and N concentration
clays are characterized as reflective light-colored layers in sediment
core images (Fig. 3). The large turbidite at the top of the record is
different from the smaller turbidites found throughout the core. The
concomitant rise in C/N ratio and bulk density is synchronous with a
N0.5‰ decline in δ13C. Taken together, the data argue for large-scale
downslope transport of terrestrial-derived organic matter. Waldmann
et al. (2008, 2010b) attribute turbidite deposition to tectonics-related
mass flow events caused by seismicity along the Magallanes-Fagnano
Transform fault system. We now expand upon this interpretation
by combining bulk organic δ13C and C/N measurements on representative organic material from Lago Fagnano and the surrounding
watershed to constrain and identify locations of sediment supply to
the deep eastern sub-basin.
In Figure 7 we compare δ13C and C/N values from the PC-18 core
and grab samples from the eastern sub-basin with terrestrial organic
matter (soil, leaf litter, and Nothofagus leaves) from the surrounding
watershed. PC-18 sediments were divided into non-turbidite (i.e.,
pelagic) and turbidite categories based on the parameters presented
in Figure 6 (bulk density, C/N ratio, and δ13C). Pelagic lacustrine
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C.M. Moy et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 302 (2011) 1–13
1
-24.8
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
sediments, but half of the measured values have lower C/N values,
which can be attributed to the fine-grained inorganic clays that
comprise the tops of these units and have low C and N concentrations
(0.4% and 0.07%, respectively). The large turbidite at the top of the
sediment core exhibits higher C/N values and lower δ13C values and
therefore plots separately from the pelagic sediments and other
turbidite samples (Fig. 7). In fact, this large turbidite exhibits C/N values
close to those of grab samples obtained from shallower areas in the lake,
and as a whole, plots within range of a shallow grab sample obtained
close to the Río Turbio inlet. Therefore, this uppermost turbidite appears
to contain organic matter derived from shallower or littoral areas of the
lake, while the smaller turbidites (2–8, Fig. 6) in the Holocene section
appear to be sourced primarily from deeper sections of the sub-basin.
The relationship between water depth, distance from shore, and
bulk δ13C and C/N values is presented in Figure 8, where along E–W
and N–S grab sample transects (see Fig. 2b), δ13C increases and C/N
decreases with water depth. The large recent turbidite at the top of
the PC-18 core may have been deposited as a result of collapse
following a particularly large seismic event or slope failure during a
moderate-sized, non-seismic event (e.g. gravitational delta collapse of
some kind near the mouth of the Río Turbio). The smaller turbidites
may reflect downslope-flows triggered by lower-magnitude seismic
events that cause slope instabilities and thus mobilization and resuspension of lacustrine sediments from lateral slopes, although the
macrofossil samples found at the base of turbidites #3 and #5 also
indicate some transport of littoral organic material. Finally, samples
obtained from the top 3 cm of the PC-18 core (highlighted by the
circle) and sediment grab samples may exhibit lower δ13C values due
to the 1.5‰ decline in atmospheric δ13C CO2 (Suess effect; Keeling,
1979; Schelske and Hodell, 1995).
δ13C (VPDB)
-25.2
-25.6
-26
-26.4
14
-26.8
12
8
2.0
C/N (atomic)
10
Bulk Density (g/cm3)
6
1.8
1.6
1.4
0
50
100
150
200
250
Core Depth (cm)
Fig. 6. Lago Fagnano bulk organic and bulk density stratigraphy illustrating turbidite
distribution within the record. We have removed the highlighted turbidites (1–9) from
the bulk organic stratigraphy in order to interpret the paleoclimate record.
5.3. Paleoclimate interpretation
Combining bulk organic geochemistry, the pollen-concentrate age
model and knowledge of sedimentation provided by the highresolution seismic data from Lago Fagnano, allows us to draw
conclusions regarding past climate variability in Tierra del Fuego. In
Figure 9 we present C/N, carbon mass accumulation rates (C-MAR),
sediments are well-constrained in the carbon cross-plot between −25.2
and −26 ‰ and 7.5 and 10 C/N units (Fig. 7b). Lacustrine sediments
derived from turbidite intervals also plot within the range of the pelagic
a)
b)
Figure 7b
-25
-25
PC-18 Sediments (non-turbidite)
PC-18 Sediments (turbidite)
PC-18 Late Holocene Turbidite
Grab Sample: E-W Transect
Grab Sample: N-S Transect
Soil (0 - 2 cm)
Leaf Litter
Turbidite #1
-26
Top 3 cm
-28
-29
-27
Suess Effect
Dis
-28
tan
ce f
ro
PC-18 Sediments (non-turbidite)
PC-18 Sediments (turbidite)
PC-18 Late Holocene Turbidite
E-W Transect
N-S Transect
-29
-30
pt
ha
nd
e
δ13C (VPDB)
-27
D
ng
asi
Incre
δ13C (VPDB)
-26
m Sh
ore
Riverine Input
-30
0
20
40
60
C/N (atomic)
80
100
120
4
8
12
16
20
C/N (atomic)
Fig. 7. Cross plots of δ13C and C/N illustrating potential Lago Fagnano sedimentary organic matter sources. a) Compilation of δ13C and C/N measurements made on drainage basin
organic matter (soil and leaf litter) and lacustrine sediments obtained on the PC-18 sediment core and from grab samples obtained along a N–S and E–W transect across the eastern
basin (see Fig. 2b). The terrestrial and sediment grab samples plot along a mixing line between PC-18 sediment samples and a terrestrial end-member best represented by leaf
litter. b) Same as in panel a but enlarged to show variations between PC-18 sediment core samples and grab samples. The grab samples trend along a curved line extending from a
shallow sample obtained close to the Río Turbio inlet to the PC-18 samples obtained from the largest turbidite (Turbidite 1). The Turbidite 1 samples exhibit higher C/N values and
therefore plot away from the other turbidite and non-turbidite PC-18 samples. Grab samples and the top 3 cm PC-18 samples may be artificially depressed by ~ 1‰ due to the Suess
effect (1.5‰ decline in atmospheric δ13C due to combustion of isotopically light fossil fuels; see text).
10
C.M. Moy et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 302 (2011) 1–13
C/N (atomic)
0
10
12
14
16
C/N (atomic)
18
20
0
E-W Transect
11.6
12
12.4
C/N
δ13C
40
Grab Sample Water Depth (m)
40
Grab Sample Water Depth (m)
11.2
N-S Transect
δ13C
80
120
160
200
10.8
C/N
80
120
160
-28.4
-28
-27.6
-27.2
-26.8
13
δ C (VPDB)
200
-27.2
-27
-26.8
-26.6
-26.4
-26.2
δ13C (VPDB)
Fig. 8. Grab sample C/N and δ13C plotted as a function of water depth. C/N increases and δ13C generally decreases in grab samples obtained closer to shore at shallower water depths.
and bulk organic δ13C profiles for the last 8000 yr. We have
constructed these time series by incorporating the linear age model
(Fig. 5b) with the bulk geochemical measurements obtained from the
turbidite-free intervals (Figs. 4 and 6). C/N and C-MAR co-vary and
show a rise through the Holocene that culminates in the last 500 yr of
the record (Fig. 9a). The co-variation of these two parameters
suggests that higher carbon deposition rates result from higher fluxes
of terrestrial organic matter, either sourced from shallower areas
(Fig. 8) and/or from greater fluvial input to the lake (Fig. 7). Although
C/N may be susceptible to degradation processes by selective removal
of labile C compounds over N through time (e.g. Meyers and Terranes,
2001), the C and N isotope profiles from Lago Fagnano do not provide
evidence of this. There are no significant trends towards positive
values (selective removal of the lighter isotope) in these two isotope
profiles that would suggest there is significant organic matter
degradation. In addition to the increase in C/N and C accumulation
rates through the Holocene, there is a concomitant increase in
magnetic susceptibility that mirrors the middle to late Holocene
trends in C/N and C-MAR (Fig. 4). Together, these proxies indicate that
there is an overall increase in terrestrial organic matter and
terrigenous material to the deep eastern sub-basin. The Holocene
trend in these parameters most likely represents a combination of
vegetation dynamics related to a Holocene advance of the Nothofagus
(southern beech) forest into the lake water shed and the associated
increase in precipitation that drives forest expansion.
Heusser (2003) developed a pollen record from a mire located
directly south of our coring sites within the Lago Fagnano drainage
basin. The record shows an increase in Nothofagus pollen from 9200 to
5500 cal yr BP that is followed by high Nothofagus percentages (N90%)
to modern. Because the eastern limit of Nothofagus in this region is
controlled by precipitation (Heusser, 1995; Heusser et al., 2000;
Huber et al. 2004; Markgraf et al., 2007; Tonello et al., 2009), the rise
in Nothofagus pollen is attributed to increasing moisture availability
that expands and maintains the eastern extent of the forest (Heusser,
2003). The predominance of Nothofagus over Poaceae (grasses)
starting in the middle Holocene and extending to Modern is a
common feature of pollen records obtained from sites located within
the forest-steppe ecotone in southern Patagonia (Heusser, 1995;
Huber et al., 2004; Markgraf and Huber, 2010, Moreno et al., 2009a;
Villa-Martinez and Moreno, 2007). Increasing C/N, C-MAR, and
magnetic susceptibility through the Holocene in our record likely
reflects the combination of increased precipitation and run-off
combined with the establishment of a dense Nothofagus forest around
the lake.
Because precipitation in this region is largely driven by the intensity
of the Southern Hemisphere westerly wind field (Garreaud, 2007; Moy
et al., 2009), we interpret the increasing values of C/N, C-MAR, and
magnetic susceptibility through the mid-to-late Holocene as resulting
from generally increasing westerly wind strength at this latitude.
Although our paleoclimate interpretation of C/N and C-MAR agrees well
with regional records (e.g. Huber et al., 2004; Markgraf and Huber,
2010; Moreno et al., 2009a), it is difficult to exclude an influence of longterm tectonic change or lake basin evolution on these two parameters. If
modern slip rates of 6 mm/yr are maintained along the transform fault
system during the Holocene, there is potential for the northern side of
the lake to move 50 m relative to the southern side over the length of our
8000 yr record. However, the shallow seismic stratigraphy indicates
that the sedimentary sequence surrounding PC-18 is relatively uniform
and there is no evidence of large-scale disturbance (Waldmann et al.,
2008; Waldmann et al., 2010a).
The Holocene bulk organic δ13C profile from Lago Fagnano
increases at 8000 cal yr BP, attains high values between 7000 and
5000 cal yr BP, and gradually declines through the late Holocene
(Figs. 4 and 9). Although the total range in δ13C is less than 1‰, the
overall Holocene trend is similar to a Holocene record of Antarctic air
temperatures from the Taylor Dome ice core (Steig et al., 2000) and
reconstructed SST along the mid-latitude Chilean continental shelf
(Lamy et al., 2002). These two records generally exhibit higher
temperatures during the early to middle Holocene between 7000 and
5000 cal yr BP, followed by a gradual decline through the Neoglacial
period (Porter, 2000) during the last 5000 yr (Fig. 9). The Lago
Fagnano δ13C records exhibits a very similar structure over this time
C.M. Moy et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 302 (2011) 1–13
40
11
a)
C-MAR (g/cm2/kyr)
30
9
25
8
20
7
15
16.4
b)
Mid-Holocene Warming
16
4
15.6
2
14.8
c)
14.4
0
Increasing Temperature
15.2
δ13C (z-scores)
Alkenone SST (°C)
Increasing Precipitation
10
C/N (atomic)
Lago Fagnano
C/N
C-MAR
35
-290
δD (VSMOW)
-2
d)
-300
-310
-320
-330
Lago Fagnano 14C Dates
0
1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000
Age (cal yr BP)
Fig. 9. Compilation of Lago Fagnano paleoclimate proxies and selected Southern
Hemisphere paleoclimate records. a) Co-variability and the increasing Holocene trend
in C/N and C-MAR provide evidence for enhanced drainage basin erosion and expansion
of the Nothofagus forest around the lake during the last 8000 yr due to an increase in
westerly-derived precipitation. b) Alkenone SST reconstruction from the Chilean
continental margin (41°S; Lamy et al., 2002). c) δ13C profile from Lago Fagnano (this
study). The δ13C profile provides evidence for enhanced aquatic productivity during the
mid Holocene between 7000 and 5000 cal yr BP that likely reflects warmer summer
temperatures. After 5000 cal yr BP both profiles decline toward present and may reflect
cooler summer temperatures related with Neoglacial ice expansion in the region after
5500 cal yr BP (Porter, 2000). d) The Taylor Dome δD record (Steig et al., 2000) exhibits
a similar Holocene profile to the Lago Fagnano record: an early Holocene warming is
evident between 7000 and 6000 cal yr BP, which is followed by a gradual cooling
through the Neoglacial period towards present.
period, and likely reflects temperature-driven changes in algal
productivity within the lake. Increased temperatures, particularly
during the summer months, will work to enhance phytoplankton
productivity in Lago Fagnano, preferentially removing 12C from the
water TDIC pool leaving and producing organic debris enriched in 13C
(Hodell and Schelske, 1998; Hollander and McKenzie, 1991). The
highest δ13C values in the Fagnano record between 7000 and
5000 cal yr BP are coincident with low C/N values and the highest
Si/C ratios of the Holocene (not shown), further suggesting that the
mid Holocene δ13C peak is indeed related to enhanced aquatic
productivity. The correspondence between these three records
indicates that the mid-Holocene warming was pervasive in the midto high-latitudes of the South American sector of the South Pacific
region and extended across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic
continent. In particular, this early to middle Holocene warming may
11
represent a significant warming of ACC waters and may represent a
weakening or northward migration in the polar front during the
middle Holocene.
Although our bulk radiocarbon dates are contaminated by bedrock
derived lignite, it is unlikely that the lignite will have a significant impact
on our Holocene δ13C profile because: (1) coal exhibits high C/N values
N50 (Ussiri and Lal, 2008), which are significantly elevated above the C/N
values in our cores (Fig. 4), and would suggest that the lignite is not an
overwhelming part of the sedimentary matrix, (2) the alkali pretreatment for bulk sedimentary radiocarbon samples that we employed
preferentially removes the younger more labile carbon that is retained in
the δ13C measurement and works to concentrate the “dead” more
refractory carbon yielding older age measurements, and (3) the linear
offset between pollen and bulk ages (Fig. 5) decreases towards Modern
at the same time carbon accumulation rates are increasing, which is
opposite to what we would expect if bedrock-derived lignite is
significantly contributing to the bulk organic geochemical measurements. Regardless, future paleoclimate work in Lago Fagnano will target
compound-specific isotope methods (Huang et al., 2002; Shuman et al.,
2006; Tierney et al., 2008), which can be used to avoid contamination
and get a better understanding of Holocene changes in climate.
6. Conclusions
The Lago Fagnano sediment record provides a unique perspective
on Holocene climate and tectonic disturbances in Tierra del Fuego. We
have combined bulk C and N stable isotopic ratios and elemental
analysis on a lacustrine sedimentary sequence recovered from Lago
Fagnano to track changes in sediment provenance and aquatic
productivity during the last 8000 yr. Although bedrock-derived lignite
appears to be a significant radiocarbon contaminant in Lago Fagnano
bulk organic sediments, radiocarbon dates obtained on pollen extracts
provide a good chronology for the eastern sub-basin. Removing the
influence of interpreted turbidites in the sedimentary record produces
a linear age model for the last 8000 yr, and based on the
reproducibility of radiocarbon dates and our interpolated age for the
H1 tephra, we estimate our chronology to be accurate to 500 yr or
better during the Holocene. Future work on Lago Fagnano cored
sediments will focus on reducing the uncertainty in the chronology by
increasing the downcore density of pollen-concentrate radiocarbon
dates.
Combining bulk elemental, isotopic, and physical sediment properties has allowed us to highlight the distribution in this part of the eastern
sub-basin and better understand provenance associated with turbidites
in the recovered sedimentary record. Turbidites 2–8 may reflect smallscale mass flow events that primarily transport resuspended lacustrine
silts and clays derived from lower lateral slopes, while turbidites 1 and 9
may represent larger-scale, mass flow events that transport organic
material from shallower regions of the lake, perhaps in response to
exceptionally strong regional seismic disturbances. However, unconstrained changes in sediment source and turbidite preservation (e.g.
Waldmann et al., 2010b) preclude a direct evaluation of past seismic
magnitude given the data presented here. Ultimately, additional
sediment cores and increasing the density of seismic data in the eastern
sub-basin will be needed to corroborate these interpretations. The covariability and long-term Holocene trend in C/N ratio and carbon
accumulation rate reflects an overall increase in the delivery of
terrestrial organic matter to Lago Fagnano. We attribute these variations
to an overall increase in westerly-derived precipitation that drives the
Nothofagus forest eastward and enhances run-off and fluvial input of
terrestrial organic matter to the lake. The correspondence between the
Lago Fagnano bulk organic δ13C record and other marine and terrestrial
records from the Southern Hemisphere is intriguing and suggests to us a
shared response to high latitude temperature change during the middle
and late Holocene.
12
C.M. Moy et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 302 (2011) 1–13
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the scientific and general staff at the Centro
Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC) in Ushuaia, Argentina
for their continued help and support during this project. We thank
Captains Jorge Ebling and Rafael Quezada for their assistance with R/V
Neecho operations. In addition, we thank Steffen Saustrup and Mark
Wiederspahn of the Institute for Geophysics for their technical assistance
in the field. Funding for this research was provided by a U.S. National
Science Foundation (NSF) SGER grant to RBD, Swiss NSF awards (10
200021-100668/1 and 200020-111928/1) to DA, and a National
Geographic Society grant (CRE12 7705-04) to JAA. C. Moy gratefully
acknowledges support from a U.S. Dept. of Energy Global Change
Education Program Graduate Fellowship, a Kerry Kelts Award from the
Limnogeology Division of the Geological Society of America, and a
Stanford University McGee grant UTIG Contribution Number #2330.
Appendix A. Supplementary data
Supplementary data to this article can be found online at
doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2010.11.011.
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Supplementary Figure Captions:
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Supplemental Figure 1. Meteorological composites derived from the Lago Fagnano weather station. a)
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Wind rose diagram illustrating relative frequency distribution of wind direction and speed from 2004 to
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2008. The rose diagram indicates that the predominant wind direction is out of the SW, but higher wind
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velocities can also originate from the WNW and NW. b) Monthly meteorological composites of
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temperature, wind speed and precipitation obtained from Lago Fagnano and Ushuaia (precipitation) from
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2004 to 2008.
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Supplemental Figure 2. Compilation of bulk density profiles obtained from Lago Fagnano eastern sub-
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basin piston and gravity cores. The nine Holocene interpreted turbidite deposits are characterized by
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abrupt increases in bulk density and can be traced across multiple sediment cores. We have used the bulk
12
density profiles to transfer radiocarbon ages from LF01 to the PC-18 sediment cores. Inset diagram
13
shows eastern sub-basin bathymetry from Figure 2b.
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50
PC­16 Bulk Density (g/cm3)
200
6
6
150
200
7
7
8
250
300
200
9
b)
400
LF01
LF06-PC18
LF06-PC16
0
5
250
Fig. 2c
500
Km
Supplemental Figure 2 1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8